Wednesday March 5, 2025
Los Angeles Times —
The Trump administration has ordered firings and buyouts at the federal agency that operates water infrastructure in California, potentially jeopardizing the agency’s ability to manage dams and deliver water, according to Central Valley water officials.
The job cuts at the Bureau of Reclamation were ordered by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, according to two bureau employees with knowledge of the situation who were not authorized to speak publicly.
The bureau, which employs about 1,000 people, is set to lose about 100 employees in California through terminations and buyouts, eliminating about 10% of its regional staff, one of the employees said. But larger workforce reductions are planned, and the bureau has been ordered to prepare plans to cut its staff by 40%, this person said.
Those targeted first for dismissal have been employees in their first year and others who have been at the agency the shortest.